Holding and closing means for garbage bags

ABSTRACT

A holding and closing means for garbage bags comprises a pair hingedly interconnected frame members defining a frame to which a bag may be secured, a pair of support brackets for the frame, each support bracket providing a vertical slot to permit vertical movement of the hinge axis of the frame members, and a linkage mechanism interconnecting the support brackets with the frame members, the linkage mechanism comprising four rigid links which are hingedly connected at their ends to the support brackets and the frame members respectively.

United States Patent 1191 Nutt 1451 Apr. 30, 1974 HOLDING AND CLOSING MEANS FOR 3,204,866 9/1965 Brighton ct 111. 248/l0l GARBAGE B 2,483,844 10/1949 Ranseen 248/99 W [75] lnventor g g g it: Woodstock Primary Examiner-William I. Price I Assistant Examiner-Joseph M. Moy [73] Assignee: Teledyne Canada Limited, Ontario, vAttorney, Agent, or Firm-Ridout & Maybee Canada [22] Filed: June 29, 1972 [57] ABSTRACT App]. No.: 267,450

US. Cl. 220/63 R, 220/1 T, 248/99 Int. Cl 865d 25/14 Field of Search 220/1 T, 17, 24 GC, '31 S,

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 214,721 4/1879 Smith 248/99 3,008,178 11/1961 Hofgesang 2,666,946 l/1954 Miller 16/179 A holding and closing means for garbage bags comprises a pair hingedly interconnected frame members defining a frame to which a bag may be secured, a pair of support brackets for the frame, each support bracket providing a vertical slot to permit vertical movement of the hinge axis of the frame members, and a linkage mechanism interconnecting the support brackets with the frame members, the linkage mechanism comprising four rigid links which are hingedly connected at their ends to the support brackets and the frame members respectively.

5 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures HOLDING AND CLOSING MEANS FOR GARBAGE BAGS This invention relates to a holding and closing means for garbage bags and the like.

It is an object of the invention to provide a garbage bag holder of relatively simple construction which will hold a bag open when required but which can readily be collapsed to a condition in which the mouth of the bag is effectively closed.

Collapsible garbage bag holders are known in the art, and it is not uncommon to provide a metal frame structure provided with means such as pins for securing a bag thereto, the frame structure being collapsible. However, the known constructions do not permit the frame structure to be collapsed so as to close the mouth of the bag effectively while ensuring that the bag does not become entangled with the metal of the frame.

According to the present invention, the difficulty is overcome by providing a pair of hingedly connected frame members which define a frame to which the garbage bag may be secured, support means providing a slot to permit vertical movement of the hinge axis of the frame members, and a linkage mechanism interconnecting the support means with the frame members, the linkage mechanism comprising four rigid links which are hingedly connected at their ends to the support means and the frame members respectively.

In order that the invention may be readily understood, one embodiment thereof will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a general perspective view, partly broken away, of a garbage bag holding and closing means mounted in a container;

FIG. 2 is a' fragmentary view showing the frame structure in the open position;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view showing the frame structure in an intermediate position; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view showing the frame structure in the closed position.

Referring to the drawings, andparticularly to FIG. 1 thereof, there is shown an open-topped container 10 having a pair of opposite side walls ll, 12, and a pair of opposite end walls 13, 14. A lid may be provided for the container. Each of the side walls 11, 12, is provided with an attachment support means formed by a piece of metal stamped inwardly from the wall to define a pair of vertically spaced slots. The attachment support means 15 are situated directly opposite one another midway between the end walls 13, 14. The end wall 13 is provided with a pair of similar attachment support means 16, 16' as shown. The garbage bag 17, which may suitably be of thermoplastic material such as polyethylene, is suspended within the container 10 by a collapsible holder constructed from sheet metal parts as hereinafter described.

The collapsible holder comprises a frame structure consisting of a pair of frame members 18, 19. Each frame member comprises a elongated strip of sheet metal bent to provide a first arm 20 (or 20), and a pair of end arms 21, 22 (or 21', 22') extending from the ends of the first arm transversely thereto. The end arms 21, 22, 21' and 22' are of equal length. Four pins 23, 24, 25, 26 welded to the frame members 18,19 depend from the corners thereof to provide attachment means for securing the bag 17 to the frame members, the edge of the bag adjacent its mouth being folded over the frame members and the pins being punched through it. It will be seen that the pins 23 and 24 are welded to the insides of the corners of the frame members while the pins 25 and 26 are welded to the outsides of the corners of the frame members.

The frame members 18, 19 are hingedly connected together by a pair of aligned, spaced apart hinge members 27, 28, the hinge members being mounted near the ends of the arms 21, 22, 21', 22' and defining a horizontal hinge axis.

The frame structure is supported from the side walls 11, 12 of the container by a pair of support brackets 29, 29'. Each of these brackets is of sheet metal and comprises a downwardly depending attachment portion or finger 30, a horizontally extending spacer portion 31, and an upstanding portion 32, the latter defining a vertical slot 33 and an intermediate portion 34 just below the slot. The attachment portion or finger 30 engages in the slotted attachment means 15 of the side wall to support the bracket; the spacer portion 31 serves to locate the bracket with respect to the attachment means 15 and also to locate the upstanding portion 32 with respect to the side wall.

First and second pairs of rigid links, also constructed of sheet metal, interconnect the support brackets with the end arms of the frame members as shown. Thus, the link 35, for example, is hingedly connected to the intermediate portion 34 of the support bracket 29 by a hinge member 36 and is hingedly connected to the frame member 19 by a hinge member 37. The links 38, 39 and 40 are hingedly connected at their ends to the frame members and support brackets in the same way. Also connected to the support brackets 29, 29 by the hinge members 36 are a pair of transverse arms 41, 42 each arm lying in a vertical plane for most of its length, and being twistedthrough near its'free end, the free ends of the arms being bent at right angles to provide depending fingers 43, 44 which engage the attachment means 16, 16'.

In FIG. 2, as in FIG. 1 of the drawings, the bag 17 is suspended from the frame structure, the mouth of the bag being held open to facilitate the disposal of garbage. In order to close the bag it is necessary to collapse the frame structure by raising the frame members 18 and 19 about their mutual hinge axis, the frame members being raised to the position shown in FIG. 3. It will be noted that the mouth of the bag 17 is now effectively closed. The linkage connected between the support brackets and the frame members causes the hinge members 27, 28 to be displaced downwardly in the slots 33 as the frame members are swung upwards. Thus it is necessary that the frame members be swung together upwards about their mutual hinge axis. The frame members are now swung from the position shown in'FIG. 3 to one side of the hinge axis as shown in FIG. 4. The hinge members 27, 28 are now at the upper endsof the slots 33, and the frame members are held in this overlapping position by the links 35, 38, 39, 40 so that the bag is effectively closed. In order to open the bag it is necessary once again to displace the hinge members 27, 28 downwardly in the slots 33 by raising the'frame members to the position shown in FIG. 2; the frame members can then be swung to their original position shown in FIG. 2.

What I claim as my invention is:

' 3 l. A garbage bag holding and closing means comprising:

abag supporting frame, said frame including a pair of frame members, attachment means depending from the frame members for attaching a garbage bag thereto,

rigid support means comprising a pair of support members, each support member providing an attachment portion for attachment to a respective wall member, an upstanding portion defining a vertical slot, and an intermediate portion,

first and second pairs of rigid links, each link being hingedly connected at its ends to the intermediate portion of a respective support member and to a respective one of said frame members,

and first and second spaced apart hinge members defining a horizontal hinge axis, said hinge members being located by said vertical slots, and said frame members being hingedly interconnected by said hinge members for collapsing about said horizontal axis.

2. A garbage bag holding and closing means according to claim 1, wherein each frame member comprises a first arm extending parallel to said axis and second and thirdarms of equal length extending from the ends of the first arm transversely thereto, the second and third arms of one frame member being hingedly connected to the second and third arms of the other frame member by said hinge members.

3. A garbage bag holding and closing means comprising, in combination:

an open-topped container providing a pair-of opposite side walls, each of said side walls providing an attachment support means, a bag supporting frame, said frame including a pair of frame members, each frame member comprising a first arm, and a pair of end arms of equal length extending from the ends of the first arm transversely thereto,

attachment means depending from the frame members for attaching a garbage bag thereto,

first and second support brackets, each bracket providing an attachment portion engageable with a respective one of said attachment support means, a spacer portion extending transversely from the attachment portion, an an upstanding portion extending from the spacer portion, the upstanding portion being laterally spaced from the attachment portion and defining a vertical slot and an intermediate portion, 4

first and second pairs of rigid links, each link being hingedly connected at its ends to the intermediate portion of a respective support bracket and to a respective one of said end arms,

and first and second spaced apart hinge members defining a horizontal axis, said hinge members being located by said vertical slots, and said frame members being hingedly interconnected by said hinge members for collapsing about said horizontal axis.

4. A garbage bag holding and closing means according to claim 3, wherein said frame members, support bracket, and links are of sheet metal.

5. A garbage bag holding and closing means according to claim 4, wherein the container provides a pair of opposite end walls extending transversely to the side walls, one end wall providing a pair of spaced apart 'attachment support means, said garbage bag holding and closing means including a pair of arms hingedly connected to the intermediate portions of the brackets, respectively, each arm having an end portion which is engageable with a respective one of said end wall attachment support means. 

1. A garbage bag holding and closing means comprising: a bag supporting frame, said frame including a pair of frame members, attachment means depending from the frame members for attaching A garbage bag thereto, rigid support means comprising a pair of support members, each support member providing an attachment portion for attachment to a respective wall member, an upstanding portion defining a vertical slot, and an intermediate portion, first and second pairs of rigid links, each link being hingedly connected at its ends to the intermediate portion of a respective support member and to a respective one of said frame members, and first and second spaced apart hinge members defining a horizontal hinge axis, said hinge members being located by said vertical slots, and said frame members being hingedly interconnected by said hinge members for collapsing about said horizontal axis.
 2. A garbage bag holding and closing means according to claim 1, wherein each frame member comprises a first arm extending parallel to said axis and second and third arms of equal length extending from the ends of the first arm transversely thereto, the second and third arms of one frame member being hingedly connected to the second and third arms of the other frame member by said hinge members.
 3. A garbage bag holding and closing means comprising, in combination: an open-topped container providing a pair of opposite side walls, each of said side walls providing an attachment support means, a bag supporting frame, said frame including a pair of frame members, each frame member comprising a first arm, and a pair of end arms of equal length extending from the ends of the first arm transversely thereto, attachment means depending from the frame members for attaching a garbage bag thereto, first and second support brackets, each bracket providing an attachment portion engageable with a respective one of said attachment support means, a spacer portion extending transversely from the attachment portion, an an upstanding portion extending from the spacer portion, the upstanding portion being laterally spaced from the attachment portion and defining a vertical slot and an intermediate portion, first and second pairs of rigid links, each link being hingedly connected at its ends to the intermediate portion of a respective support bracket and to a respective one of said end arms, and first and second spaced apart hinge members defining a horizontal axis, said hinge members being located by said vertical slots, and said frame members being hingedly interconnected by said hinge members for collapsing about said horizontal axis.
 4. A garbage bag holding and closing means according to claim 3, wherein said frame members, support bracket, and links are of sheet metal.
 5. A garbage bag holding and closing means according to claim 4, wherein the container provides a pair of opposite end walls extending transversely to the side walls, one end wall providing a pair of spaced apart attachment support means, said garbage bag holding and closing means including a pair of arms hingedly connected to the intermediate portions of the brackets, respectively, each arm having an end portion which is engageable with a respective one of said end wall attachment support means. 